Trade shows are always tricky places for live demos, particularly for Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS). With multiple vendors densely packed in adjacent booths, the RF noise levels make demonstrations risky if they are possible at all. That’s why my Q-Track colleagues were particularly pleased with the ability of NFER® RTLS […]
Electromagnetics
174 posts
Following is a press release from my company, Q-Track. More details are in this recent post: NFER® RTLS for Forklift Tracking and Supply Chain Management. Always a pleasure to have good news to share! -Hans Invention expected to dramatically lower cost of supply chain visibility Huntsville, AL — June 7, […]
Conventional RFID systems can identify assets passing through a portal, but once inside a warehouse locating the assets becomes a substantial challenge. Tagging each of the potentially thousands of assets in a typical logistics scenario is cost-prohibitive. But by identifying an asset, associating it with a forklift, and then tracking […]
Well buttressed conclusions on a possible cell phone – brain cancer link remain in short supply despite substantial research on the question. Nevertheless, inconclusive results keep leading to alarming headlines. Encouragingly though, the weakness of the case against cell phones is becoming more evident. Writing for New York Times Magazine […]
The Time Domain Corporation has sold its ultra-wideband (UWB) real-time locating systems (RTLS) business unit to a newly-formed, privately-held company: PLUS Location Systems. Here’s the full press release: Huntsville, Alabama (March 31, 2011) – Time Domain, a leader in ultra wideband (UWB) product development, announced that it has sold its […]
Maxwell first published his famous equations describing electricity and magnetic one hundred fifty years ago. In honor of the anniversary, ÆtherCzar will discuss some interesting and not always appreciated aspects of Maxwell’s Equations. Previously, ÆtherCzar considered the question, “Is radiation divergenceless?” Today’s topic: Radiation of a DC Signal? The last […]
Steven J. Crowley once again has an update on Experimental License Applications before the FCC. A couple of highlights include: ZAI filed an application with exhibit for special temporary authority to test an ultra-wideband (UWB) vehicle-mounted radar system for identifying roadside threats and obstacles. The hardware is manufactured by Time […]
Maxwell first published his famous equations describing electricity and magnetic one hundred fifty years ago this month. In honor of the anniversary, ÆtherCzar will discuss some interesting and not always appreciated aspects of Maxwell’s Equations. First, is radiation divergenceless? “Divergence” is a mathematical property of fields, measuring the extent to […]
Here are some RTLS news items of interest: Chinese plans to track cell phones raise concerns: Beijing to track people’s movements via their mobile phones – Computerworld. Hat Tip: @TheSchnack Skyhook brings location-awareness to the Sony NGP, including WiFi-only models — Engadget. Computer scientists develop smart, less obtrusive tracking system […]
Initiatives Magazine had a nice article about my company, Q-Track, and the many applications of our Near-Field Electromagnetic Ranging (NFER®) Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS). Coincidentally, an older article from Technology Alabama also recently became available online: In an all-too-familiar story in the Huntsville area, a technology — which was practiced […]
Here are some recent links of interest: Amazing how many people were taken in by what appear to be high-tech dowsing rods: Iraqi Treasury Gets Partial Refund on Magic Wands – Lowering the Bar. Remarkably, the company’s website is still up. Spy Tech Surveillance Gear – Top Surveillance Gadgets – […]
I’m participating in a panel discussion: “Ultra-Wideband(UWB) Technology: Past, Present, and Future” at the 2011 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium today, Wednesday January 19 at 11:50 – 13:00 in room Solana ABCD. Organized by Dr. Faranak Nekoogar (author of Ultra-Wideband Communications: Fundamentals and Applications), my fellow panelists are slated to […]
I’ll be presenting a paper, “On the Origins of RF-Based Location,” at the 2011 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium this morning at 8:00 in room Cira A. The paper collects together the pre-WWII material I’ve blogged about under the History of RF-Based Location category here at ÆtherCzar. This paper will provide […]
The 2011 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium kicks off today in Phoenix, Arizona. ÆtherCzar will be live-blogging the proceedings. If you are in attendance, I look forward to seeing you around the conference and particularly at my three formal appearances (all on Wednesday): Paper Presentation: “On the Origins of RF-Based […]
Writing in People’s Daily Online, Li Hongmei argues that the days of the U.S. employing carriers to project power into the western Pacific are numbered. Her article, “Carrier domineering mentality obsolete” suffers a bit in translation, yet offers a window into Chinese strategic thought. The basic point of the story […]
Previously, ÆtherCzar shared the story of the Lightsquared’s Skyterra-1 satellite with the 22m reflector antenna – largest ever deployed in space on a commercial satellite (Orbiting 22m Dish Antenna to Provide 4G Service). Then, the satellite suffered a glitch in which the reflector antenna only deployed 98%. Some sources indicated […]
Previously, ÆtherCzar noted that the effectiveness of full body scanners has been called into question. Liquid explosives and other organic contraband contrast poorly and are said to be difficult to spot. These reports were largely anecdotal, however. Good technical information on the performance of x-ray backscatter full-body scanners has been […]
A century-old concept may be the next big thing in military technology. General Atomics has developed and test fired a rail gun. The rail gun uses a 33 megajoule current impulse to accelerate a projectile at speeds up to Mach 8. Here’s a video of the test. This high-tech concept […]
Armig Kandoian received U.S. Patent 2,368,663 for his invention of the discone antenna in 1945. The basic idea behind a discone antenna is to drive a circular disk against a conical ground. Kandoian was motivated by the problem of trying to mount antennas to aircraft. In alternate embodiments, Kandoian showed […]
Can you tell which is which at a glance? Even otherwise tech-savvy folks like those at Ars Technica sometimes get it wrong. Once you understand the physics, you can tell which kind of scanner produced which image, at a glance. Millimeter wave scans bounce very short wavelength radar signals off […]
Still more sad news to pass on from the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society… I am very sorry to tell you that we have lost another great person in the IEEE AP-S family. On December 1st, Dr. Carl Baum passed away. The doctors believe that a blood clot started in […]
Passing on some sad news from the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society… Dr. Robert E. Collin passed away Monday night after a short fight with lung cancer. The funeral service will be at the DiCicco Funeral Home, 5975 Mayfield Road, Mayfield Heights, OH 44124, (440) 449-1818. Visitation 5-7pm, service at […]
In April, University of California, San Francisco scientists wrote Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, expressing their concerns regarding X-ray backscatter scanners. Last month they received a detailed technical reply, posted on the FDA website November 8. One of the more egregious technical problems […]
Who needs cell phone towers? The largest communications antenna ever placed into orbit, a 22m (72ft) reflector, was launched from Kazahkstan a couple of weeks ago. It will relay signals for a new 4G-LTE mobile phone and data system for North America run by Lightsquared. (BBC News; RedOrbit)